Report on Torture in Chechnya and Russia

At the end of November 2013, ACAT (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture) published a report on the practice of torture in Russia and the Russian occupied Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.

The report comes as the result of two years of investigation and research in collaboration with two well known Russian NGOs: “the Public Verdict” and “the Committee against Torture”.

In Russia, the use of torture is present at all stages of the criminal justice chain, from the arrest by the police to the prisons.

In the Russian occupied Chechen Republic, the situation is worse. “Behind the image of a pacified Chechnya, a reality is hidden; it is a lawless area where torture and ill-treatment continue to be practiced on a massive scale. Victims and their families do not want to complain about torture, considering that it is dangerous and unnecessary. The climate of fear promotes and perpetuates impunity,” says Anne Le Huérou, co-author of the report and a researcher specializing on Russia.